The Morning After
by DayDream64
Summary: Mario and Princess Daisy deal with their emotions and aftermath from the previous night. -Standalone companion piece to Winter's Night.-


_**Hello once again. I was surprised and humbled by the feedback Winter's Night received so this kind of inspired me kick it into gear into writing this follow up idea I had floating around for a while. This fic is a stand-alone companion piece to Winter's Night. You'll get a lot more context if you read that first, but this fic will work on its own if you don't want to. Disclaimer/legal stuff: I Don't own Super Mario or its characters. All character rights go to Nintendo and company. Without further ado, here we go.**_

 _"Ti adoro, Principessa (I adore you, Princess)," he said as slowly leaned in. Daisy followed his lead and for the second time on that snowy winter night, they kissed. After a night filled with self-doubt and loneliness, Princess Daisy of Sarasaland finally confessed to her special one: the red-capped hero Mario. An emotional exchange ensued and by the end of the night; both had admitted to their feelings. The couple tenderly broke apart and gazed at the peaceful nocturnal Mushroom Kingdom countryside. Everything felt right with the world. It felt as if this fragment of time was perfectly preserved for the pair to remember._

"Mnh," a feminine voice grunted as she tossed over in her bed. The morning sun had begun to peer in through her window and she turned away; she wanted just a few more minutes of slumber. Light slowly enveloped the room, much to the dismay of the person trying to fall back asleep. "Just five more minutes," she continued to grumble in her semi-conscious haze. The light of daybreak was slowly but surely brightening up the room. "Nngghh. Fine," the young woman rolled her eyes as she sighed defeatedly. Princess Daisy yawned and stretched as she sat up let her vision focus in on her room. 'Huh,' she thought, 'I don't remember having pink wallpaper in my room.' Her eyes widen as she immediately realized she wasn't in her room. She frantically looked at her surroundings and began try to figure out where she was.

'Ok, light pink walls,' she turned to look at the bed sheets, 'royal blue,' she thought as she continued her observations, 'a… music box?' She spotted it atop a hefty nightstand that lied beneath a mirror. She then uncovered herself from the sheets and saw she was still in her dress from the Winter Wonderland festival from last night. 'LAST NIGHT,' she internally shouted as the realization hit her like a brick wall. She stared through the massive window; gazing onto the Mushroom landscape as the events of yesterday replayed in her head. 'So, it wasn't just a dream then,' she contemplated. 'So, if what happened yesterday really did happen, where's…' she began to scan the room for the red-capped plumber. After a few moments of examination, she noticed that near the closet door, lied on top a large golden colored ottoman, lied a sleeping mustachioed man wrapped in a blanket.

"…Mario," she sighed out loud in relief. She smiled and closed her eyes as she rested her head against the bed's backboard. She mused for a moment, letting the tranquil silence ease her mind.

"Mrm," a soft groan caught Daisy's attention; she opened her eyes and turned towards Mario. "Mamma," he yawned, "Mia." He gradually blinked to wake his eyesight. He then sluggishly turned his body around, unknowingly facing her; his gaze lazily laid upon her. "Ah, Principessa," he grinned as his slowly drifted back to sleep. Instantly his eyes snapped open and he shot up into a sitting position, "Ah-a Princess!" He had a sheepish smile on his face tried to compose himself. Daisy couldn't help but look away and stifle a giggle at the man clumsily trying to straighten himself up. She then returned her gaze at him and they locked eyes. They both sat quietly, staring at each other for a few moments; their stares soon broke contact and began to focus on random objects in the room. "So," his voice broke the silence; they returned their focus towards each other, "Do you-a remember what-a happened last-a night?" Daisy nodded as a blush crept up on her cheeks. "Do you," he paused, uncertainty evident in his appearance and voice, "Do you-a regret it?"

Daisy was taken aback from the question he just asked. The thought had never crossed her mind; not a single fiber of her being regretted the events from last night. "No!" she impulsively said in a voice louder than she anticipated, "I don't regret anything at all!" Mario was a little stunned to say the least from her sudden outburst. Then a dark, troublesome thought entered her mind and took hold, clouding every other idea. "Do," she began with a pang of sorrow, "Do you regret last night?"

Mario snapped out of his stunned state and immediately got up to run towards Daisy. He took her hand and knelt beside her; he looked up to match her eyes as his expression soften. "Daisy," his voice barely above a whisper, "I-a regret-a few things I've-a done." He took a deep breath and continued his train of thought. "But-a last-a night," Daisy's heart stopped in her chest, "I will-a never regret giving my-a heart to-a you," he said with a warm, sincere smile. She bashfully adverted her eyes away from him as a massive blush formed on her face. They let the silence fill the room for a few moments until Daisy mumbled. "Mi scusi? (Excuse me?)" he curiously asked.

Daisy returned her attention to Mario and giggled, "You're so wonderfully sappy," she teased as a huge grin appeared on her face.

"Eh?!" Mario nearly shouted as now the blush adorned his face.

Daisy could hardly contain her laughter at his over-reaction. She managed to stop her chuckling and cupped his cheek, "But honestly," she winked, "that's one of things I love about you." She leaned in and gave a quick kiss to his cheek.

"Mamma mia," he happily sighed; Daisy couldn't help but smirk. She then motioned for Mario to sit next to her on the top of the bed. She scooted over to give him some space as he plopped down beside her; he gently grabbed her hand. She grinned as his gesture and re-payed it by removing his hat and messing with his hair with her free hand. The pair silently enjoyed each other's company for a while; simply being next to one another was enough.

"It's a shame," Daisy broke the silence; Mario turned to her. "We were at a party last night and we didn't even get to dance," she teased; Mario's eyes went wide at the awareness of her statement. "Mamma mia!" he cried as his put both of his hands on his head to think, "Come potrei dimenticare?! (How could I forget?!)"

Daisy snickered and shook her head, "It's fine Mario," she calmly spoke, "I'm only joking."; Mario was still in disbelief at himself. "Besides," the blush return to her cheeks, "considering we poured our hearts out last night, I think dancing was the last thing on our minds." Now Mario turned a bright shade of scarlet; he gently nodded in agreement.

"But-a still," he spoke up, "it's-a something-a special. There aren't-a lots of-a chances to-a do something like-a this." Daisy thought about it for a moment; he did have a point. Slow, more intimate moments were a rarity in their chaotic, adventurous lives.

"But, there's no real point in dancing if we don't any music to actually dance to," she smirked playfully as she gestured to the room.

"Hmm…" he thought aloud as he cupped his chin, "There's-a got to be-a something we can-a use in this room." He grabbed his cap and placed it on his head; he jumped up and began quickly began searching the bedroom. Daisy could only beam at seeing him trying his best to fulfill her wish.

'You're such a hopeless romantic,' she affectionately thought, 'And you're petty stubborn too. Once you've set your mind on something, there's no stopping you. But honestly, I wouldn't change it for the world.'

"Aha!" Mario broke Daisy from her thoughts, "It may be a little-a slow, but this will-a do." Mario grabbed something from atop the nightstand; it was the music box. It was gold colored, with mushroom insignias adorning it all over. Mario opened the top and there in the middle, stood a crystal-clear figure of a fire flower. Mario began to gradually wind it up; he walked over and placed it on a nearby table. The melody began to play; it was a slow, peaceful waltz. Mario serenely walked over to Daisy, bowed and presented his hand, "Principessa, vorresti ballare con me? (Princess, would you like to dance with me?)"

Daisy rolled her eyes and laughed; but she went along with it. "I'd be honored, my hero," she said with a sly smile as she curtsied and took his hand. Despite his short stature, Mario led the pair as they swayed back and forth to the music. They elegantly kept in tempo, wide smiles appearing on their faces. When it was time for the turn, Mario suggested that Daisy should twirl him instead because of the height difference; Daisy chuckled and happily obliged. She stood tall as the red-capped hero spun underneath her arm as they turned in rhythm with the melody. They pulled in close, leaning into each other as they lost themselves in the music. The music began to slowly wind down to a halt; the pair however held their stances. They both inched their faces closer onto each other; they closed their eyes and kissed. It was a shorter kiss compared to the one they shared on the terrace last night, but it still sent sparks down each other's bodies. They pulled apart, both lost in a haze. Daisy averted her eyes away from him and murmured something under her breath.

"Hm?" Mario wondered as he cupped her cheek with his gloved hand.

Daisy, now crimson with a few tears in eyes gave a soft, delicate smile. "Thank you for loving me," she lovingly said as she held Mario's free hand.

Mario warmly nodded and proceeded to fully hugged her. "È un piacere, (It's my pleasure,)" he assuringly whispered into her ear. Daisy simply hugged him tighter in response. The pair stood still, held in each other's embrace, savoring the timelessness of the moment. Later in the day, they'll have to break the news to their friends and have to deal with the rest of the world, but that could wait. The morning after the Winter Wonderland festival seem to be rather cozy after all.

 _ **Ah, another fic finished. I'm sorry if this was rather short, especially compared to Winter's Night, but I really wanted to do an epilogue of sorts; knowing what happens during "Happily Ever After" is much more interesting than just ending it there. Again, I'm so thankful and humbled by the support and wanted to sincerely thank you. I hope you all enjoyed it and I think I'll try my hand on some non-Mario stuff for the moment; I've got a lot of ships. Thanks for the read and enjoy the rest of your day/night!**_


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